The Binding Vow of Lazarus

Chapter 8

Toji’s eyes gleamed with interest now. “And you’re asking if I’d take that deal?” he asked carefully.

“Yes,” Satoru said firmly, “Would you?”

“Like I said, if the money’s good, then sure," he said then chuckled, a sharp predatory grin pulling at his lips, "And let me guess—you're the one they’ll choose to protect the girl, right? So not only do I get a fat paycheck, I also get the chance to kill a Gojo?”

Satoru tensed, his cursed energy flaring ever so slightly. “There’s no way you can kill me," he said, his voice dropping.

Toji’s grin widened, but there was no humor in it, only the cold, calculating look of a man who enjoyed a challenge. “We’ll see about that," he said, his eyes narrowing.

The two men stood there, locked in a silent battle of wills. Satoru knew that he had just given Toji the information that could lead to his own downfall, but he also knew that he had to take the risk. If he could get Toji to back down, to refuse the job when it came, then he could prevent the tragedy that had torn their world apart.

Toji's smirk widened as he observed Satoru's tense posture. "You’re still just a kid," Toji said, his voice dripping with condescension, "You think you’ve got it all figured out, huh?"

Satoru’s jaw clenched. "You’re not going to win this," he gritted, "Not against me, and not against anyone else."

Toji’s eyes narrowed slightly, sizing up the young sorcerer. "Is that so?" He chuckled, "You’re confident, I’ll give you that. But you’re naive if you think you can predict everything, even with those special eyes of yours."

There was a pause as Satoru considered his next move. He knew he had the upper hand in terms of raw power, but Toji was cunning, a man who had survived countless battles by outsmarting his opponents, not just out-fighting them. Satoru couldn’t afford to underestimate him.

"Walk away from this one," Satoru said, his voice steady, "Stay out of the assassin business. Don’t take any jobs that involve the star plasma vessel. If you do, you’ll regret it."

Toji chuckled, the sound low and dangerous, "And if I don’t? What’s a brat like you going to do about it?"

Satoru’s eyes blazed with determination. "You’re not the only one who can play dirty," he warned, "If you come after me or anyone else, I’ll take you down."

Toji’s smirk faltered for just a fraction of a second before he recovered. He looked Satoru up and down, weighing his options. "I’ll keep that in mind, Gojo," he said with a single huff of a laugh.

With that, Toji turned and walked back into his house, leaving Satoru standing outside, the tension still heavy in the air. Satoru watched him go, his fists clenched at his sides. This wasn’t over, not by a long shot, but at least for now, he hoped he had planted the seeds of doubt in Toji’s mind.

As he turned to leave, Satoru couldn’t shake the image of the two small children inside the house—Megumi and Tsumiki. For their sake, he hoped Toji would make the right choice. But deep down, he knew he couldn’t rely on hope alone. He would need to be ready for whatever came next, to protect his friends, his future, and the girl who had given him a second chance.

The confrontation with Toji left a bitter taste in Satoru's mouth, but it also steeled his resolve. He wasn’t just going to change the future; he was going to make sure it never had a chance to go wrong in the first place.

A week later, Satoru stood just outside against the wall of the school's faculty lounge, his gaze distant as he listened to the instructors discuss the ongoing chaos in the jujutsu world. The war he had quietly orchestrated between the Time Vessel Association and Q had erupted into an all-out conflict. Reports of attacks, counter-attacks, and the eventual crumbling of both organizations had reached the school’s higher-ups, leaving them baffled as to what had ignited such a sudden, intense conflict. Satoru kept his expression neutral, even as a sense of satisfaction curled within him.